A dedicated micro credit fund for rural Madagascar

Schistosomiasis is a leading cause of disease in the area where our project is located. One of our Zahana teachers is suffering from it and it sadly has a big impact on his ability to teach.

Zahana wants to eradicate this disease by providing ducks for 15 households per village, or in total 60 households in all of our four Zahana villages.

Following an educational awareness session, conducted by the Zahana team, on the benefits of breeding ducks in the fight against schistosomiasis, many were convinced and expressed interest in participating in a related duck micro credit project.

Breeding ducks, for eggs and for meat has been a long-term project for Zahana. Ducks have a much higher market value than chicken and are in high demand. Ducks have been used in rice paddies in many cultures for vector on insect control successfully.

Our objectives are:

• to reduce the vulnerability of villagers to schistosomiasis infections
• to create a supportive environment for health in our 4 villages

Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic parasitosis caused by worms (trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. Transmission occurs when people with schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with their feces or urine containing the eggs of the parasite.

Schistosomiasis mainly affects rural communities in Madagascar. Contact with contaminated water, such as swimming or fishing in infested waters, make children particularly vulnerable to infection.

Women who carry out their domestic chores in infested water, such as washing clothes, are also at risk, and may develop female schistosomiasis by spending more time in the water.

Links:

• Ducks in a basket as a micro-credit project